Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: mthrockmor on June 04, 2013, 08:05:21 AM

Title: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
Post by: mthrockmor on June 04, 2013, 08:05:21 AM

Do you remember reading or hearing about this story? It was the 1950's and a young Air Force mechanic who wanted to go to flight school was taxiing an F-86 took off and went for a joy ride.

That gentleman was my wife's uncle Reynolds. He passed away in his sleep two nights ago at the age of 74. I will post his obituary later. He had an absolutely miniature part of the legacy of US military aviation: the mechanic who went joyriding in a Sabre.

 :salute

Boo

Title: Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
Post by: Alpha81 on June 04, 2013, 08:09:43 AM

Sorry for your loss, you have peaked my interest as I hadn't heard of this before.

Title: Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
Post by: Midway on June 04, 2013, 08:20:00 AM

Quote from: mthrockmor on June 04, 2013, 08:05:21 AM

Do you remember reading or hearing about this story? It was the 1950's and a young Air Force mechanic who wanted to go to flight school was taxiing an F-86 took off and went for a joy ride.

That gentleman was my wife's uncle Reynolds. He passed away in his sleep two nights ago at the age of 74. I will post his obituary later. He had an absolutely miniature part of the legacy of US military aviation: the mechanic who went joyriding in a Sabre.

 :salute

Boo

Hope he did eventually make it to flight school or fulfilled whatever dreams he had for his life.  At least he served which many of us, including me, did not do, unfortunately.  I'd be interested in an old newspaper article or interview about the joy ride.  :salute

Title: Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
Post by: Arlo on June 04, 2013, 08:23:58 AM

Sorry for your loss.  :salute

Was Reynolds his middle name?

http://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/Mind-If-I-Borrow-It.html?c=y&page=1

Title: Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
Post by: mthrockmor on June 04, 2013, 08:30:14 AM

That's him.

I don't want to speak ill of the dead but Uncle Al, Reynolds had a bit of a ride in life as well as that plane. At one point he ran into troubles and the easy way out was to "borrow" the name and credit of my wife's father, Jim Reynolds. For most of his adult life he went by "Jim Reynolds" which is the name I was introduced to him as. He will always be Uncle Reynolds but his birth and legal name were something else.

He insists that he simply got going to fast and it was safer to give it a little more speed, circle the field and land. He told me that just last year.

RIP

Boo

Title: Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
Post by: zack1234 on June 04, 2013, 10:59:53 AM

Fantastic :)

Title: Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
Post by: DubiousKB on June 04, 2013, 12:12:08 PM

Very cool...   :cheers:

Title: Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
Post by: morfiend on June 04, 2013, 12:28:45 PM

 :salute

Title: Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
Post by: bortas1 on June 04, 2013, 12:32:19 PM

 :salute

Title: Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
Post by: eddiie on June 04, 2013, 12:40:08 PM

sorry for your loss  :salute sounds like he must've had some exciting minutes in the air  :joystick:

Title: Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
Post by: BaDkaRmA158Th on June 04, 2013, 05:21:53 PM

 :salute :rock

Title: Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
Post by: WWhiskey on June 04, 2013, 06:10:14 PM

Quote from: Arlo on June 04, 2013, 08:23:58 AM

Sorry for your loss.  :salute

Was Reynolds his middle name?

http://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/Mind-If-I-Borrow-It.html?c=y&page=1

great story!

Title: Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
Post by: MarineUS on June 04, 2013, 06:14:36 PM

 :pray :salute

Title: Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
Post by: pipz on June 04, 2013, 06:32:57 PM

Sorry to hear this bad news Boo. My condolences.

Title: Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
Post by: deSelys on June 05, 2013, 02:40:38 AM

Nice story!

The same event happened in the RAF with a BAC Lightning. Here is the story, told by the 'culprit' himself: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=676440 (http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=676440)



Boo, my condolences to your loss.